Raptors

Learn more about raptors at the Golden Gate Raptors Observatory.

 

Bald Eagle
Article
“This is a super exciting time for Bald Eagles in the Bay Area. We must be doing something right for Bald Eagle ecology."
Lidia D'Amico opens a window to the ocean on Alcatraz.
Gateways Article
National Park Service biologist Lidia D’Amico works, in short, for the birds.
Kettle of Raptors Over San Francisco Skyline
Our Work
After three decades of consistently and meticulously tallying the daily fall raptor migration at the Golden Gate, we have a lot of great data, and we have an amazing ability to see a kind of baseline raptor migration story for the 19 species that are seen here annually. For example,...
Black and yellow peregrine falcon with white fluffy chicks in rocky nest
Conservation

All the fluffiness of the peregrine falcon chicks and their parents on Alcatraz...

In 2020, for the first time in recorded history, peregrine falcon chicks were born on Alcatraz Island. The peregrines returned in subsequent years and, in 2023, four chicks were born on the island!
GGRO Gear
Birds in the Golden Gate National Parks
Sharp-shinned Hawk Illustration by Lora Roame
Our Work
Although full interpretive talks weren’t possible in 2022, we did arrange our weekend schedules so that one GGRO staff person would also be a greeter to informally talk to people about the migration on Hawk Hill, and the results were wonderful.
Red-shouldered hawk feather, illustration by Lora Roame
Our Work
It is no surprise that, as a forty-year-old Community Science program, the GGRO’s scientific publications and presentations should be steeped in collaboration and partnership.
Sharp-shinned hawk: comparing 2022 with the ten-year mean
Our Work
There was a weird and striking delay in Sharpshins.
Illustration of soaring Turkey Vulture looking downward.
Our Work
Beyond being widely misunderstood by the general public, Turkey Vultures are often misunderstood from an ecological perspective as well.
Banding pliers illustration by Lora Roame
Our Work
In 2022, the GGRO Banding Program had huge accomplishments before the field season even started.